The Crime Writers’ Association

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About the CWA The CWA promotes, supports and celebrates crime writing, and writers of all crime fiction and non-fiction from across the globe. We’re proud to be a growing, thriving community with membership encompassing authors of all ages and at ...


CWA Debut Dagger Open for Submissions

Entries are being invited from uncontracted writers for the coveted CWA Debut Dagger Award.   Authors shortlisted for the Debut Dagger come to the direct attention of interested literary agents and publishers. M W Craven who won the 2019 Gold Da...


A fond farewell to M C Beaton, by Barry Forshaw

Barry Forshaw, author of Crime Fiction: A Reader’s Guide, on MC Beaton (aka Marion Chesney), the creator of Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth, who has died at 83. Although many crime novels fit more or less comfortably into a clearly defined categor...


CWA Debut Dagger Writing Competition 2021 Now Open for Entries

Aspiring authors are invited to submit the opening of their novel to the coveted Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Debut Dagger competition 2021. The international writing competition opened for entries on October 1. Entrants must send in their firs...


Ann Cleeves and Cath Staincliffe

A special pre-Festival event with two award-winning, bestselling crime writers. Cath Staincliffe is a novelist, radio playwright and the creator of ITV’s hit series, Blue Murder, and the Scott & Bailey novels, based on the popular TV series, a...



Crime Writers in Residence: at home with Holly Watt

The CRA: Please tell us a little about yourself and the books you write. My name is Holly Watt, and I write novels about a journalist called Casey Benedict who investigates stories that take her all over the world. The first one - To The Lions, whi...


Pauline Rowson at Totton Library

Adventure, mystery, heroes and the sea have always held a fascination for Pauline Rowson so it wasn’t surprising that she turned to crime – writing that is – and created an exciting series of marine based crime novels set against the atmospher...


12 Criminally Good Hints for Crime Writing by Laraine Stephens

by Laraine Stephens   Start with reading in the crime genre. You'll pick up how different authors approach their craft. You’ll learn to recognise good writing and bad writing. Also, there’s great advice in books and blogs about how to ...


Alibis in the Archives

Back by popular demand, Alibis in the Archive (in association with the Crime Writers’ Association and The Detection Club) returns for a third year to bring some of the UK’s best-loved crime writers to Hawarden. Over a weekend of talk sessions and...


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